Firefighters Make Progress on Snake Fire in Southeastern Wyoming

Cooler weather helped firefighters working to suppress the Snake Fire, which is now 10 percent contained and smaller than initially estimated.

However, flames threaten some ranch structures and nearby parcels of state and private land. The fire is burning on Medicine Bow National Forest land, and an area closure is now in place.

Improved mapping Wednesday showed the fire is 2,452 acres in size. Firefighting efforts are focused on the southern flank of the blaze, with 164 firefighters including six hand crews and two helicopters working the fire.

Wednesday is expected to be the last day of cool weather before temperatures climb into the weekend, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release.

The fire started Saturday afternoon five miles southeast of Battle Creek Dispersed Campground, two miles north of the Wyoming/Colorado state line.

The cause of the Snake Fire is still under investigation. ANyone with potentially useful information from this past weekend in the area just east of Forest Road 851.1F is asked to contact U.S. Forest Service Officer Hannah Nadeau at 307-343-2335.

Weather also kept growth to a minimum on the Broadway and Beaver Creek Fires in the last couple of days. The Beaver Creek Fire is 72 percent contained, while the Broadway Fire is 7 percent contained.

In the 90 days since it was first reported, over 2,000 people have worked on the Beaver Creek Fire. It is now estimated at 38,350 acres in size, while the Broadway Fire grew to 2,115 acres earlier this week.